Refuge Escape (Part 2)
by TheDcComicsNerd
Summary: Three new friends must find a way to escape the Refuge. Will they make it out or be stuck in the rotten place for good? Part 2 of a three part story written by Sis21k, Emador, and TheDcComicsNerd.


_**A/N: This story was written for the Newsies Pape Selling Competition.**_

 _ **My teammates and I all had to write one story together, split into three parts. This is Part 2. Please check out the links to their parts of this story below to view their awesome work. It was difficult but we all pulled through and got it done. Great job, ladies!**_

 _ **Part 1, by Sis21k: s/11384247/6/Newsies-Pape-Selling-Competition-Entries**_

 _ **Part 3, by Emador:**_ ** _s/11664878/1/_**

 _ **Our task: As a team, write a story about the three of us as newsies in the Refuge.**_

 _ **Word count: 1,152**_

* * *

Georgi rolled her eyes at her cousin's remark and closed the window behind him. She turned and walked back to the bed Nellie and Lucy were seated at.

"Alright, guys," Georgi started in a hushed tone. "You'se both know the plan so just be ready to go tonight." The other two girls nodded quickly. Just then, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching the room. The girls dove back into their respective beds just in time to hear Snyder open the door to the room. They each waited, not daring to make a sound, and when the door finally closed, they all let out a breath they weren't aware they were holding. They'd definitely need to be more careful later.

"What're we doing now?" Lucy asked after the footsteps subsided. Georgi quietly responded back, "Now, we wait."

* * *

Katherine rapped on the front door of the Refuge, trying not to let the cold feeling of the place get to her. Not even an hour ago, Jack had arrived at her apartment door saying something about his cousin and two other girls needing to escape from the Refuge.

 _"One of them knows you or somethin' too, Ace," he had said, trying to get his girlfriend to help him. "What was her name? Uh….Lucy! That's it."_

 _Katherine had paused at the sound of Lucy's name._

 _"Wait, Lucy's in there?"_

 _"Yeah," Jack nodded. "So, what'cha say? Will ya help?"_

With a sigh, Katherine had agreed and now, here she was knocking at the door of the Refuge, about to meet the man of most children's nightmares. Darcy waited at the end of the alley in a carriage, out of sight. Katherine had decided to drag him along for any backup she may need.

After waiting for nearly five minutes, Katherine was starting to think maybe the warden was already asleep. However, her thoughts were interrupted by heavy footsteps approaching the door. Snyder opened the door and glared at the young woman standing before him.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly. Katherine did her best to smile at the man although she wanted more than to sneer at him.

"Hello, sir. Katherine Plumber, reporter for The Sun. I was hoping to have a few words with you about your...lovely...institution," Katherine said pleasantly.

"What're you doin' here so late, missy?" Snyder asked.

"Well, I figured it would be best to come when the children are sleeping so you don't have to deal with those little hooligans in the middle of the interview," Katherine replied, nearly wincing as she said it.

Snyder thought about this for a moment before grinning at Katherine. "Well then, come in!"

"You've got this," Katherine thought to herself as she stepped inside, Snyder closing the door behind her.

* * *

Jack watched from around the corner as Katherine walked inside with Snyder. He hated to send her in by herself but he knew it needed to be done. Once the door was closed, Jack turned and quietly crept to the part of the building where the girls' room was. There was a fire escape on the side of the building that led to a lower rooftop which was situated maybe ten feet under the girls' window. Jack quickly climbed up the fire escape and ran underneath the girls' window. He still had to climb up a few feet. By now, he knew the side of the building very well so he knew exactly where the bricks stuck out of the wall and where the bricks were loose. He grabbed ahold of the bricks sticking out and climbed up the side of the building until he was right next to the window. He knocked softly on it and waited.

Georgi lay in her bed, waiting for her cousin when she suddenly heard soft knocking. She saw Jack and rushed over to the window, Lucy rushing over with her while Nellie watched quietly from her bed. As much as Georgi disliked her cousin, she couldn't be more happy to see him, at that moment. She and Lucy both helped Jack inside quickly.

"You girls ready ta go?" Jack asked as he looked at the three girls. The girls nodded and he grinned. "Alright. That window is too high for all of you ta jump out of-"

"No kidding," Georgi cut in with a roll of her eyes.

"Anyway, that window's too high for you so wese'll have ta find a different way for you girls ta get out."

The four of them thought for a moment before Lucy spoke up. "What if we tie sheets from our beds together to make a rope?"

Jack smiled at her and ruffled her hair. "Hey, kid, that ain't a bad idea."

They set about gathering the sheets and blankets from their beds and tying them all together. Once they did, they threw one end of the makeshift rope out of the window and tied the other end to one of the bunks.

Jack tugged on the rope to check its strength and when the rope didn't come undone, he turned to the girls.

"Alright, who's gonna go first?"

Georgi stepped forward. Jack nodded and showed her how to hold the rope and climb down - "I know how to climb down a rope, Jack." - before he climbed out the window and lowered himself down to the lower rooftop. Once he was there, he motioned to Georgi who then climbed out the window and slid down the rope. Once Georgi made it onto the rooftop, Jack motioned to the remaining two girls.

"Come on, Nellie!" Lucy said, reaching for Nellie's hand. Nellie flinched away slightly before taking a breath and grabbing Lucy's hand. Lucy pulled her up off of her bed and hurried over to the window. However, in their haste, Nellie tripped and fell, hitting the floor with a large thump. Nellie gasped, not because it hurt, but because she knew that that could be heard from outside their room. Lucy knew this too and frantically helped Nellie to her feet.

"Are you alright?" Lucy asked as she and Nellie headed over to the window. Nellie nodded. "I'm okay."

"Good, now let's go," Lucy said as she climbed out the window and lowered herself to the ground.

* * *

Katherine was in the middle of asking Snyder about the Refuge and was fairly confident about the success of the plan. That is, until a guard came running to Snyder's office.

"Sir, I heard noise coming from the girls' bunkroom," the guard said. Snyder looked at Katherine and realization dawned in his eyes. He quickly jumped up and hurried off to the girls' bunkroom. Katherine stood up and ran the opposite direction, towards the exit.

* * *

Nellie grabbed the rope and was about to climb out the window when she heard rapid footsteps approaching.

"Oh no," she thought and she looked at the door in terror as it opened to reveal Snyder.


End file.
